Jeff Bridges

Party: Democratic

District: Colorado State Senate District 26

Jeff Bridges is an American politician representing Colorado State Senate District 26, which encompasses parts of Aurora, Englewood, Sheridan, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, and Littleton in Arapahoe County. He grew up in Colorado and is from Littleton.

Before his legislative career, Bridges worked for U.S. Senator Ken Salazar and served as associate vice president of public affairs at Union Theological Seminary. He has built a reputation for creating bipartisan coalitions across parties, ideologies, and faiths to advance legislation benefiting Colorado.

Education

Bridges graduated from Arapahoe High School in Centennial. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Kenyon College and a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School.

Political Experience

Bridges was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2016, representing District 3, and was re-elected in 2018. In 2019, a vacancy committee appointed him to the State Senate for District 26 following Daniel Kagan's resignation.

Current Leadership Positions:
- Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee
- Chair of the Joint Budget Committee
- Bicameral Majority Whip

Notable Legislative Achievements:
- Passed full-day kindergarten legislation
- Created the nation's first middle-income housing authority and tax credit
- Established the strongest paid sick leave policy in the country with bipartisan support
- Sponsored the *Accelerated Growth Program *, providing targeted lending for businesses with under 20 employees in rural and underserved areas
- Created the *Employee Ownership Office * and associated tax credits to support employee-owned business models

Bridges has demonstrated expertise in budget management, navigating significant fiscal constraints while protecting education, healthcare, and public safety priorities.